As the 2024 US election approaches, President Biden’s recent gaffe regarding Latino voters could jeopardize Vice President Harris’s campaign. Despite her efforts to present a unifying message, Biden’s awkward comments have been seized upon by Trump, drawing parallels to past controversies. Harris’s team views Biden as a potential liability, complicating her attempt to distinguish herself from his unpopular administration. With the election race neck-and-neck, missteps like these could significantly impact Democratic chances.
US Election 2024
President Biden’s recent comments may pose a challenge for Kamala Harris just days ahead of the election, potentially benefitting Trump.
On Tuesday evening, Kamala Harris presented her concluding statements in front of a large crowd, expressing her aspiration to be a president for all Americans, with the iconic White House as her backdrop.
Meanwhile, not far from her, Joe Biden was busy on a live video call addressing a crucial Latino voter demographic.
During the call, Biden brought up a comedian’s derogatory remarks about Puerto Rico made at a rally for Donald Trump, suggesting it was merely a “floating garbage island.” In contrast, Biden highlighted the dignity of the Puerto Ricans he knows, claiming that the real “garbage” is found among Trump’s supporters, characterizing the attack on Latinos as unprincipled.
However, it remained ambiguous who Biden was specifically targeting with his comments—was it Trump’s supporters?
Later on, Biden attempted to clarify his statement, asserting through social media that his comments were aimed at the comedian’s offensive language.
Biden’s Missteps Favor Trump
Despite the clarification, the Democrats faced repercussions from Biden’s remarks. That evening, Trump seized the opportunity to echo sentiments from his 2016 campaign, recalling when Hillary Clinton made unfavorable comments about his supporters.
“Do you remember Hillary? She called them ‘pathetic’ and ‘irredeemably lost’. But ‘garbage’ is worse, right? Just remember, he doesn’t really know what he’s saying,” Trump commented during a Pennsylvania event.
Even within Biden’s own party, there were concerns. Harris noted his attempts to clarify his statements but firmly opposed criticizing voters based on their choices before moving on to her next campaign event.
As the competition for the White House heats up, it’s evident that the race is tight, with the final campaign stretch underway.
Election Campaign Tensions Rise
Recently, Biden provided a controversial soundbite for Republicans when he expressed a desire to “lock up” Trump, albeit in a political context. Although this phrase originally stemmed from Trump and referred to Clinton, it did not resonate well in the current electoral climate. Harris’s campaign team views Biden’s commentary as problematic.
According to Alex Thompson, a journalist with Axios, Biden’s inability to communicate effectively and coherently raises concerns about his presence on the campaign trail, prompting Harris to want him sidelined.
Additionally, Harris is making an effort to create distance from the unpopular Biden administration to highlight her own agenda. With only days left until the election, the last thing she needs is for the conversation to revolve around Biden’s misstatements rather than her own campaign, especially as she and Trump remain closely matched in the polls.